Customized mouthpiece retainer for an underwater breathing apparatus

ABSTRACT

The retainer portion of the mouthpiece of an underwater breathing apparatus includes at least a portion made of a thermoplastic material. The retainer is customized to the bite of the user by heating the mouthpiece to render the retainer plastic. The retainer, while plastic, is gripped by the teeth of the user to form an impression of the users bite in the thermoplastic material of the retainer. In one embodiment, the thermoplastic portion of the retainer comprises only a sleeve of thermoplastic material which is affixed over the conventional rubber retaining member. In an alternative embodiment, the thermoplastic retainer is formed as an integral molded portion of the mouthpiece.

United States Patent [1 1 Shamlian CUSTOMIZED MOUTHPIECE RETAINER FOR ANUNDERWATER BREATHING APPARATUS lnventor: Ralph B. Shamlian, SanFrancisco,

, Calif.

Assignee: Farallon Industries Inc., Belmont,

Calif.

Filed: Oct. 2, 1973 Appl. No.: 402,720

US. Cl. 128/147, 128/136 R Int. Cl A63b 7/00 Field of Search... 128/147,136, 140 R, 145 A,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,774,616 11/1973 White 128/351Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examinerl-lenry J. Recla[57] ABSTRACT The retainer portion of the mouthpiece of an underwaterbreathing apparatus includes at least a portion made of a thermoplasticmaterial. The retainer is customized to the bite of the user by heatingthe mouthpiece to render the retainer plastic. The retainer, whileplastic, is gripped by the teeth of the user to form an impression ofthe users bite in the thermoplastic material of the retainer. In oneembodiment, the thermoplastic portion of the retainer comprises only asleeve of thermoplastic material which is affixed over the conventionalrubber retaining member. In an alternative embodiment, the thermoplasticretainer is formed as an integral molded portion of the mouthpiece.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDnmzs m4 sheet 20$ 2 CUSTOMIZEDMOUTI'IPIECE RETAINER FOR AN- UNDERWATER BREATHING APPARATUS BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to mouthpiecesfor underwater breathing apparatus and, more particularly, to animproved method and apparatus for retaining the mouthpiece within themouth of the user by customizing the retainer means to the bite of theuser by means of the use of thermoplastic material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Heretofore, the mouthpiece of an underwaterbreathing apparatus has been retained within the mouth of the user bymeans of rubber projections extending outwardly of the flanged lipportion of the mouthpiece. The retainer projections included a flangedfree-end portion and an intermediate portion which fits between theteeth and which is gripped between the upper and lower teeth in use. Theretaining members are made of rubber and formed as an integrally moldedportion of the rubber mouthpiece.

The problem with the prior art retaining members is that they present arelatively small area to the teeth of the user such that a relativelyhigh pressure is transmitted from the retaining member to the one or twoteeth which grip each of the retaining members. In cold water, the lowtemperature of the gums and teeth tends to aggravate the pain producedby the reactive force of the rubber retaining means on the grippingteeth.

Therefore, it is desired to obtain an improved mouthpiece wherein thereactive gripping force exerted on the teeth by the retaining means isdistributed more uniformly over the gripping teeth such that themouthpiece is more comfortable in use.

It is also known from the prior art to make a toothprotective guard forboxers and other athletes of a thermoplastic material. The thermoplasticguard comprises a curved channel of thermoplastic material which isheated to plastic temperatures and inserted into the mouth and pressedover and around the upper teeth. The user bites gently into the guard,while in the plastic state, and the plastic guard is pressed against theback of the upper teeth such that an impression of the upper teeth isobtained in the guard, whereby the guard is customized to the teeth ofthe user.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The principal object of the presentinvention is the provision of an improved mouthpiece for underwaterbreathing apparatus.

In one feature of the present invention, a blank of a thermoplasticmaterial is formed to be affixed to the mouthpiece of an underwaterbreathing apparatus as a portion of the retaining means thereof, wherebythe retaining structure may be customized to the bite of the user. Themouthpiece is customized to the user by heating the mouthpiece with theaffixed thermoplastic member to render the member plastic, inserting themouthpiece into the mouth of the user and biting down on the heatedthermoplastic retainer portion to obtain an impression of the users bitein the retaining structure, whereby the retainer of the mouthpiece iscustomized to the bite of the user.

In another feature of the present invention, thermoplastic blanks whichare to form a portion of the retaining structure of the mouthpiece areformed as sleeves which fit over the conventional rubber retainingprojections of the mouthpiece, whereby a conventional mouthpiece may becustomized to the bite of the user.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent upon a perusal of the following specification taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a plan view of themouthpiece portion of an underwater breathing apparatus incorporatingfeatures of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an end view of the structure of FIG. I taken along line 2-2 inthe direction of the arrow,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the structure ofFIG. 2 delineated by line 3-3 and depicting a thermoplastic blank of thepresent invention,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 depicting an alternativeembodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the structure of FIG. 4taken along line S-5 in the direction of the arrows, and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 4 depicting analternative embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2,there is shown a conventional mouthpiece structure 11 of an underwaterbreathing apparatus as modified to incorporate features of the presentinvention. More particularly, the mouthpiece structure 11, as of onepiece molded rubber, includes a breathing tube portion 12 connected ingas communication via additional tubulation, now shown, to a source ofair.

That portion of the mouthpiece 11 which is to be retained within themouth of the user includes a pliable flanged lip portion 13 at themouthpiece end of the tubulation 12. The flanged lip portion 13 includesa central breathing hole 14 connected in gas communication with thebreathing tube 12.

A pair of retaining members 15, as of rubber, project outwardly from theconcave face of the flange 13 to be clenched between the teeth of theuser for retaining the breathing tube 12 within the mouth of the user.The retaining members 15 each include a central body portion 16extending outwardly from the flange 13 to a flanged free-end portion 17.In a typical example, the central body portion 16 has a thickness 1 of0.20 inch, a width w of 0.50 inch and a depth of 0.20 inch. The flangeportion 17 has approximately equal width and thickness as of 0.50 incheach and a depth of 0.10 inch.

A thermoplastic sleeve 18, as more fully shown in FIG. 3, is affixedover each of the retaining projections 15. In a typical example thesleeve 18 is made of a suitable thermoplastic material such as ethylenevinyl acetate. Such a material is commercially available from Dupontunder their trademark Alathon. In a typical example, the sleeve 18 has adepth d of 0.35 inch and a wall thickness t of 0.20 inch. The centralopening 19 in the sleeve 18, which is to receive the main body 16 of theretaining projection 15, has a height h of 0.15 inch and a width w of0.45 inch.

In use, the thermoplastic blank sleeves 18 are threaded over therespective central body portions 16 of the retaining projections 15 andcaptured to flange 13 via the flanged end portions 17 of the retainingprojections 15.

The mouthpiece 11 is heated in a pot of boiling water for 50 seconds torender the blank sleeve portions 18 thermoplastic. The mouthpiece 11 isthen removed from the boiling water and inserted for one second intocold water. The mouthpiece 11 is placed immediately in the mouth of theuser with the flange portion 13 disposed between the lips and the teethof the user and with the concave face of the flange l3 abutting theoutside surfaces of the front and side teeth.

The thermoplastic blank sleeve portions 18 are located inbetween theupper and lower teeth in the regions of the canine and first pre-molarteeth, i.e., between several top and bottom teeth on each side of themouth behind the front teeth. As the teeth are clenched onto thethermoplastic sleeve 18 they make an impression in the sleeve, suchimpression indenting the sleeve substantially to the substantially lessplastic central body portion 16, or core or tab, of the retainingprojection 15.

The central body portions 16 of the projections 15 are dimensioned ofthe proper thickness to ensure that the spacing between the users teeth,as closed on the retainer bodies 16, is sufficient to permit breathingthrough the front teeth and breathing hole 14. As the thermoplasticsleeve 18 deforms to provide the impression, it elongates to extend intothe region of adjacent teeth toward the front and rear of the mouth. Inthis manner, substantially increased tooth bearing area is obtained forthe composite retaining structure. The elongation of the thermoplasticsleeve 18 is not sufficient to interfere with or otherwise cut off thebreathing opening 14.

The advantages of the customized retainer portion of the mouthpiece 11are that the load bearing reactive forces exerted on the teeth by theretaining structure are spread out over more teeth. In addition, theforces are uniformly distribured over the teeth which bear on theretaining structure to provide a much more comfortable grip especiallywhen diving in cold water.

The thermoplastic sleeves 18 are adapted to conventional mouthpieces 11which are presently in use. The user merely acquires the sleeves l8 andpresses them into position on the existing retaining structures 15.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, (see FIGS. and 6)the retaining projections are eliminated and the thermoplastic blankstructures 18, which may be solid or which may include the rubber cores16, are affixed as by molding or bonding at 21 to the flange l3. lnanother alternativeembodiment (see FIG. 6), the flange l3 and retainingstructures 15 are integrally molded as one piece of thermoplasticmaterial which is bonded or otherwise affixed to the breathing tube 12as by sealing flange 22.

The mouthpiece of the present invention may be employed to advantagewith any type of underwater breathing apparatus such as a regulator,snorkel, etc.

What is claimed is:

l. A mouthpiece to be used in combination with underwater breathingapparatus that supplies breathable gas to a subject through a conduit,said mouthpiece comprising a pliable flange means for insertion betweenthe lips and the outer frontal surface of the teeth of the subject. saidflange means having a breathing hole adapted to be connected in fluidflow relationship with the conduit for passing the gas in asubstantially unobstructed flow path into the mouth and through theteeth of the subject, said flange means extending on opposite sides ofthe breathing hole, a pair of tabs connected to and extendingsubstantially normal from the flange means in a direction away from theconduit, said tabs being located on opposite sides of the breathing holeand spaced therefrom, the improvement comprising: means on each of saidtabs for retaining teeth, each of said teeth retaining means includingmeans for receiving only the several top and bottom teeth behind thefront teeth of the subject and being fabricated of a thermoplasticmaterial having sufficient thermoplastic ity at elevated temperatureswhich are compatible with the mouth of the subject for gripping by theteeth of the subject while at such elevated temperature and while in athermoplastic state to form an impression of the bite of the subject inthe thermoplastic material, such impression being retained upon coolingof the thermoplastic material to human body temperature, whereby theretaining means of the mouthpiece is customized to the bite of theindividual subject, the flange means being fabricated of a material thatis less plastic than the retaining means at such elevated temperature,said retaining means being spaced from edges of the breathing hole so asnot to interfere with the flow of gas through the hole into the mouth ofthe subject.

2. The mouthpiece of claim 1 wherein each of the tabs is an integralpart of the flange means, and each of said retaining means is a retainerblank having an aperture into which the tab fits, the tab holding theretainer blank to the flange.

3. The mouthpiece of claim 2 wherein each of said tabs has a retainingflange at a free end thereof.

4. The mouthpiece of claim 3 wherein each of said tabs, flange means andretaining flanges together are fabricated as an integrally molded rubberpart.

5. The mouthpiece of claim 1 wherein the teeth receiving means isfabricated from ethylene-vinylacetate.

6. The mouthpiece of claim 1 wherein each of the tabs and the retainingmeans thereon together form a structure affixed to the flange means.

7. The mouthpiece of claim 6 wherein each of the tabs and retainingmeans is solid.

1. A mouthpiece to be used in combination with underwater breathingapparatus that supplies breathable gas to a subject through a conduit,said mouthpiece comprising a pliable flange means for insertion betweenthe lips and the outer frontal surface of the teeth of the subject, saidflange means having a breathing hole adapted to be connected in fluidflow relationship with the conduit for passing the gas in asubstantially unobstructed flow path into the mouth and through theteeth of the subject, said flange means extending on opposite sides ofthe breathing hole, a pair of tabs connected to and extendingsubstantially normal from the flange means in a direction away from theconduit, said tabs being located on opposite sides of the breathing holeand spaced therefrom, the improvement comprising: means on each of saidtabs for retaining teeth, each of said teeth retaining means includingmeans for receiving only the several top and bottom teeth behind thefront teeth of the subject and being fabricated of a thermoplasticmaterial having sufficient thermoplasticity at elevated temperatureswhich are compatible with the mouth of the subject for gripping by theteeth of the subject while at such elevated temperature and while in athermoplastic state to form an impression oF the bite of the subject inthe thermoplastic material, such impression being retained upon coolingof the thermoplastic material to human body temperature, whereby theretaining means of the mouthpiece is customized to the bite of theindividual subject, the flange means being fabricated of a material thatis less plastic than the retaining means at such elevated temperature,said retaining means being spaced from edges of the breathing hole so asnot to interfere with the flow of gas through the hole into the mouth ofthe subject.
 2. The mouthpiece of claim 1 wherein each of the tabs is anintegral part of the flange means, and each of said retaining means is aretainer blank having an aperture into which the tab fits, the tabholding the retainer blank to the flange.
 3. The mouthpiece of claim 2wherein each of said tabs has a retaining flange at a free end thereof.4. The mouthpiece of claim 3 wherein each of said tabs, flange means andretaining flanges together are fabricated as an integrally molded rubberpart.
 5. The mouthpiece of claim 1 wherein the teeth receiving means isfabricated from ethylene-vinyl-acetate.
 6. The mouthpiece of claim 1wherein each of the tabs and the retaining means thereon together form astructure affixed to the flange means.
 7. The mouthpiece of claim 6wherein each of the tabs and retaining means is solid.